February 28, 2007
Email Address for Rev. Daniel Busch, Association Minister dlbusch@nwoa.org
Rev. Daniel Busch will be preaching this Sunday, March 4th at Emanuel UCC in Upper Sandusky beginning at 10:00 am. Also Rev. Busch will attend Rev. John Mummert’s installation Sunday at Salem UCC in Kenton. The Installation will begin at 5:00 pm with a meal to follow at 6:00 pm. All are welcome!
Prayer Requests
Cabin at Pilgrim Hills caught fire and burned down. Early Monday morning (Feb.19) between 1:30 and 3:30 a.m. one of the cabin units, 11-12, at Pilgrim Hills caught fire and burned down. No one was hurt and no one was occupying the building at the time. Jeff was alerted and 911 was called, but it was too late. The building was fully engulfed when Jeff first saw the cabin. Please keep the staff at Pilgrim Hills in your prayers.
The father of Rev. Faith Proietti (Mansfield), Rev. Alton Richardson died on Feb. 10th in Springfield, MO of pancreatic cancer. Keep Faith and Gary in your prayers.
Mary Burroughs' (Lytton Zion) father, Russell Jenkins, died January 13. He was 98. Her mother is still living at her home in Pleasantville, OH. Mary is also dealing with tremors from Parkinson's, and is facing another knee replacement in the future. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.
Rev. Rob Patton, St. Stephen UCC, Sandusky is having back problems and is in need of our prayers.
Rev. Forrest Hoppe, Central Southeast Association Minister has undergone by pass surgery. Please pray for a speedy recovery.
The husband of Pat Danner, licensed pastor at Second UCC in Tiffin is
very ill and needs our prayers.
Rev. John Mummert’s installation will take place this Sunday at Salem UCC in Kenton. The Installation will begin at 5:00 pm with a meal to follow at 6:00 pm. All are welcome!
Rev. Catherine Costello will be installed on March 11th as Pastor at St. Paul’s UCC in Rockford beginning at 3:00 pm. All are welcome!
Rev. Anthony (Tony) Minear has accepted a call to 1st Congregational Church in Mansfield and will be installed as Pastor on March 25th beginning at 10:00 am. Tony comes to Ohio from Lincoln, NE and currently holds Ministerial Standing with the UCC.
Rev. Sue Keller will be installed as Pastor at Buckland UCC on April 22nd beginning at 3:00 pm. All are welcome!
Organ Concert
All are invited to an organ concert by Association Minister Rev. Dan Busch to be held at Bloomville UCC on Sunday, March 18th at 7:30 p.m. An offering will be received to benefit this year's Small Church Cluster Council mission project "Sudan Crisis Recovery" through Church World Service.
Giving to Our Church’s Wider Mission (OCWM) Letter from the Executive Committee
See attachment
FROZE OUT - The first class of Spring 2007 Lay School of Religion was set back to March 6th due to the freezing temperatures a few weeks ago. Still time to register! Course offering New Testament – Instructor Gale Green. www.nwoa.org
A Challenge to “Change Our Camps” open the flyer attached
TIMELY TOPICS
Wed., Mar. 14, 2007 What’s Great about Small Churches?
Rev. Wayne Chasney, Congl. Community Church, Monroeville
Location: Northwest Ohio Association, 416 Wentz St., Tiffin, OH 44883 Time: 10:30 am to 1:30 pm.
No Cost! Bring a brown bag lunch (beverages are available)
FOR CHURCH SECRETARIES AND BOOKKEEPERS UCCOSSN 20th Anniversary Meeting
UCC Office Support Staff Network (UCCOSSN)
Would you like to meet many others which work for the church? This is a great event to attend. If you have questions call Joan or Carolyn at the NWOA office. We will be attending!
Attached are the following regarding the event:
Ø Letter of Invitation Ø Agenda Ø Registration Form
Please do the following:
1. Complete your Registration Form
2. Fax it to either of the following numbers (212) 729-2713 or (212)729-2759
3. Mail your Registration Form & Registration Fee to the address noted on the Form
4. Forward this information to others
Upon receipt of your Registration Fee, a confirmation will be sent to you, along with ground transportation options and other area attractions and recreational options.
We look forward to welcoming you to New York!! Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. See you in NEW YORK!!
Sharon Thomas
Executive Assistant to President/CEO & Member Education Services Coordinator
Pension Boards - United Church of Christ
475 Riverside Drive - Room 1020
New York, NY 10115
p. 800.642.6543 Ext. 2712
f. 212.729.2713
MISSION QUESTIONNAIRE 2007 What mission projects does your church support?
See the Mission Questionnaire attachment.
Inspiring Generosity & Planned Giving Event
On March 31 at First UCC in Findlay the Stewardship & Caring Team will sponsor Inspiring Generosity & Planned Giving. Key note speakers will be Margaret Mills – Minister for Stewardship, Education & Youth with the Western Reserve & Eastern Ohio Association and Nancy Ackley – Minister for Capital Campaigns & Financial Development with the Western Reserve & Eastern Ohio Association. Registration will begin at 9:00 am. www.nwoa.org
Effective Teaching Workshop
On March 24 at Trinity UCC in Tiffin a workshop will be offered “Effective Teaching”. Keynote speaker will be Rev. Dr. Marian Plant, Coordinator for the Defiance College Design for Leadership. www.nwoa.org
Nu-Vizion UCC, Toledo attachments!
Needs list, Work Day, Volunteers Celebration
Urgent appeal from Church World Service
Friends:
This is to urgently appeal to you to put the word out to your constituencies
that we have great need, immediately, for CWS school kits, in particular.
We also have a need for CWS baby kits, although this is less urgent, because
pending requests for these are at the moment not as great as the requests
for school kits.
Just to elaborate on the need -- we have substantive pending requests for
CWS school kits. At the moment, we have only about 200 school kits in
inventory that are now uncommitted for upcoming shipments. This has in
part arisen because requests for school kits, just since the first of the
year, have exceeded requests during the whole of last year. I think this
reflects new interest on the part of many partners in receiving material
resources to undergird their program work, which is wonderful. However, it
means we need to work at keeping our inventory at more consistent levels to
meet increasing need, which we anticipate contiuing.
So, if you could please promote this need and it's urgency and try to
encourage folks to do school kits and get them to New Windsor as soon as
possible, that would be terrific. As for baby kits, our inventory is
dwindling, and we know of a number of requests that will be coming, so in
anticipation, we need to increase our baby kit inventory as well over the
next 2-3 months. Thanks for all you can do to promote this immediate need.
Much appreciated. Cheers, Donna Derr, CWS-ERP
http://www.churchworldservice.org/kits/
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Milan is sponsoring a Confirmation Retreat on March 24-25 at Pilgrim Hills. We are planning a unique opportunity for our Confirmation classes this Spring. The musician Bryan Sirchio has been invited to come and do a Confirmation retreat for us at Pilgrim Hills Camp. The dates for the retreat are Saturday, March 24, 2007 - Sunday, March 25, 2007. The retreat has been planned around the theme, Confirmed For Service. Bryan Sirchio will also be offering an after school program for elementary children on Friday, March 23, 2007 from 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM at St. Stephen UCC in Sandusky. A free concert open to the public will held on Friday, March 23rd at 7:30 PM in St. Stephen UCC. We hope your church will be able to participate in some of these special activities.
We have been fortunate to have some of the churches in our area underwrite the expenses to bring in Bryan. The cost per person for the retreat will be $72.00. Church groups will be housed together and we do ask that you send advisors, both male and female, for your group. The ratio should be one adult for every eight youth. The cost covers lodging, food and supplies. However, we do encourage groups to bring additional supplies for the stole making project. Red felt stoles will be provided along with some supplies to decorate them. If you would like to bring additional pieces of colored felt, glue or fabric paint for the project that would be helpful. The deadline for registration is March 10, 2007. Please contact Wendy Schindler-Chasney for registration information.
Rev. Wendy Schindler-Chasney 419-359-1662 e-mail revwendy@thewavz.com
Needed item in New Orleans
Donations of new or gently used books, pre-K through high school, of teachers' resources, gift cards from Home Depot or monetary gifts would be greatly appreciated by those of us going as a work team to New Orleans March 16. The books and teacher resources (remember, they have lost almost everything) are disbursed by the Book Ministry of Good Shepherd UCC where we stay. We handle the gift cards and monetary donations. No administrative costs are ever involved. All donations go directly to the people. Please contact Rev. Jeanette Tangeman, tangeman@ohiolink.net, 419-657-2196, for further information. Thank you so much.
Finding support for interim ministry
On Monday, March 19, the Interim Ministry Working Group of the Ohio Conference and the Christian Church in Ohio (Disciples of Christ) are offering a workshop for interim ministers and those who are inquiring about the possibility of interim ministry. The Rev. Char Burch will be the keynote presenter on the theme “Where Do We Find Emotional, Financial and Personal Support for Interim Ministry?” Char is an intentional interim minister with over 20 years of experience in local churches and judicatory settings. She is known to many in Ohio because of her long-term interim as the Association Minister in Northwest Ohio. Char presently is serving as the Interim Conference Minister in the Missouri-Mid South Conference.
In the morning, there will be a separate workshop led by the Rev. Dr. Anthony Carpenter for those who are new to interim ministry or who are just considering the possibility of interim ministry. The workshop will be offered at East Columbus Christian Church just east of Interstate 270 and north of Main Street. The workshop is from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. The cost is $20.00 which includes the noon meal. You may register for the workshop by calling Joyce Decker at the Ohio Conference (800-282-0740 or 614-885-0722) or emailing her at joyced@ocucc.org. see brochure attached
2007 Local Church Accessibility Audit this form will be included in the February monthly mailing.
Great News! The Ohio Conference Church Development Flight School program will not end this May.
Rev. David Plant, our Flight School instructor, has graciously offered to continue the program and do one school a year over the next five years around the various associations if we can gather at least five churches together. The 2007-2008 training will be in the Eastern Ohio Association. The success of the Flight School program has been very gratifying and if your church would like to participate, or if you would like to send a second team for training, watch for information about future dates and locations.
Outdoor Ministries—Ohio Conference UCC
Spring work days at the camps will be held as follows:
March 3—Pilgrim Hills
March 24—Templed Hills
Each work day will begin at 9 a.m. more information www.ocucc.org
Update your web page
Would you like to update your church webpage, ask
webinfo@nwoa.org for help. Visit
www.nwoa.org for more Association
information.
Monthly Mailing
The monthly mailing will be sent over the email by request only. If you would like to receive the mailing by email please contact Joan Davidson at joan@nwoa.org.
Deadlines and Meeting Dates
Upcoming
March
1 Support Committee Mtg 11:00 am
4 Rev. John Mummert Installation Salem UCC, Kenton 5 pm
5 Sandusky Valley Clergy 11:30 am Fairhaven, Upper Sandusky
6 Church and Ministry Mtg
6 Lay School 7:15 pm
7 Maumee Bay Clergy Bangkock Café Noon
8 Auglaize Valley Region South Clergy, 11:30 am at Country Charm Restaurant
9 Monthly Mailing Deadline
11 Rev. Catherine Costello Installation St. Paul’s UCC, Rockford 3:00 p.m.
14 Timely Topics 10:30 am Tiffin“What’s great about Small Churches”
Speaker Rev. Wayne Chasney
15 Faith Formation Team 10 – 2pm
20 Stewardship & Caring 1-3 p.m.
20 Lay School 7:15 pm
22 Witness & Proclamation 10-1 p.m.
24 Effective Teaching Workshop Trinity UCC, Tiffin
24 Sandusky Valley Region Work Day at Templed Hills
25 Rev. Anthony Minear Installation UCC Pastor at First Congregational Church Mansfield 10:00 am
28 Lakeshore/Firelands Clergy First Cong’l UCC, Sandusky
31 Inspiring Generosity & Planned Giving First UCC, Findlay 9:00 am
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